At 72, Frank Stella reigns as the grand old man of American abstract expressionist painting of the 1960s but, more than a decade ago, Stella stopped creating what he calls flat paintings.

At 72, Frank Stella reigns as the grand old man of American abstract expressionist painting of the 1960s but, more than a decade ago, Stella stopped creating what he calls flat paintings. Lately, working out of a studio north of New York City, Stella has been up to something completely different: creating bent, curvy objects, suspended in space, out of materials that bring to mind an industrial scrapyard.

You could call them twisters, because they twist materials, they twist in space, they twist your mind and they twist our definition of what we call "art."

When the new Art Gallery of Ontario opens next month, two of Stella's constructions, linked to one another, will engage visitors in a can't-miss setting, floating in space at the entrance to the AGO's restaurant (fittingly named Frank, in honour of both Stella and architect Frank Gehry).

"They are pieces in motion, made out of bent stainless steel tubing with carbon fibre elements," explains Stella, who spent Monday at the AGO wearing an orange hard hat, installing these sculptures in what is still a construction zone at the Grange. "The whole thing is spring-loaded, about to pop. You can feel the energy from the tension of the bending."

The space where they are placed is a lightwell and Stella says they should perform well there, with the help of shadow and reflection.

Meanwhile, the AGO has just acquired a large and sensationally colourful Stella painting from 1970, called York Factory (Sketch) VI, which will be prominently displayed when the gallery reopens in mid-November. The donors, a Toronto couple, have asked to remain anonymous.

The two Stella sculptures, called Ajab and Naga, were made in 2002 and 2003, long before the AGO came knocking. He was approached by the gallery at the suggestion of David Mirvish – Stella's onetime art dealer and now the custodian of many great Stella works from the old days.

"I have a unique relationship with David Mirvish," says Stella. "He has one of the world's greatest collections of abstract art from the mid-20th century."

It is because of their shared history that in 1993 Stella created sensational murals both in the auditorium and in the lobbies of the Princess of Wales Theatre.

As for the AGO installation, Stella says: "It was a community effort involving David Mirvish, David Moos (curator), Matthew Teitelbaum (the gallery's CEO) and Frank Gehry."

Their idea was to commission something new. But Stella found pieces he had already made that with some adaptation seemed perfect for the space.

"Frank Gehry was very positive," Stella says. Then he adds a sly qualifier: "but he hasn't seen this yet."

The two Franks, Stella and Gehry, have known each other for years.

"As soon as Frank Stella started creating these sculptures, I wanted to own one," Mirvish said yesterday. "Then it became apparent we had an opportunity to put one in a wonderful space at the new AGO and I wanted to support that."

Translation: Mirvish and his wife Audrey bought the pieces and turned them over to the AGO on indefinite loan, with the understanding that one day they will donate them to the gallery.

As for the 1970 Stella painting, Moos says: "This is a major Stella work. It is absolutely gorgeous and we know we are incredibly lucky to acquire it."

In 2004, Art News named Stella one of the 10 most expensive living artists; prices often exceed $1 million.

To check out York Factory, go to the contemporary art centre on the fourth floor. Just this week, the gallery announced that this stunning new space, overlooking Grange Park, will be named for Vivian and David Campbell, who recently increased their donation from $1 million to $5 million.

Final question: How does Frank Stella feel about having the gallery's restaurant named after him.

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